Can Jardiance Be Crushed?
The FDA label for Jardiance (empagliflozin) does not explicitly prohibit crushing the tablets, and the medication is formulated as a standard film-coated tablet without extended-release or enteric-coating properties that would contraindicate crushing. 1
Formulation Details
Jardiance tablets contain empagliflozin as the active ingredient in a standard film-coated formulation. The tablets are available in 10 mg and 25 mg strengths and contain inactive ingredients including:
- Colloidal silicon dioxide
- Croscarmellose sodium
- Hydroxypropyl cellulose
- Lactose monohydrate
- Magnesium stearate
- Microcrystalline cellulose
- Film coating (hypromellose, polyethylene glycol, talc, titanium dioxide, yellow ferric oxide) 1
This is a conventional immediate-release formulation without specialized coating designed to control drug release.
Clinical Considerations
For patients with dysphagia or difficulty swallowing, crushing Jardiance tablets appears to be a reasonable option based on the formulation characteristics, though this should be done with awareness that:
- The film coating serves primarily cosmetic and stability purposes rather than controlling drug release
- The medication should be taken with or without food as specified in the label 1
- Patients should take the crushed medication immediately after preparation to ensure full dose delivery
- The 10 mg or 25 mg once-daily dosing should be maintained regardless of administration method 1
Important Caveats
While the formulation does not preclude crushing, clinicians should:
- Verify with the dispensing pharmacist that crushing is appropriate for the specific patient situation
- Ensure patients understand proper administration technique if crushing is necessary
- Consider that crushing may affect palatability due to taste
- Document the need for crushing and the method of administration
- Monitor for any changes in efficacy or tolerability after switching to crushed administration
The absence of specific crushing instructions in the FDA label 1 combined with the standard tablet formulation suggests crushing is not contraindicated, unlike medications with specialized delivery systems (extended-release, enteric-coated, or sublingual formulations) where crushing would be explicitly prohibited 2.